Topic

Wearable Technology


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Description

Wearable technology refers to clothing and accessories incorporating computers and electronic technologies. Wearable technology has applications in monitoring and realtime feedback for athletes. Also, wearable technology allows you to become more efficient with today's quick innovation and ultimately makes your life easier. Today's existing collection of wearables provides incredible business opportunities which can only expand as existing products evolve and new categories emerge. this increasing enterprise application of these technologies should drive broader adoption across society.

A couple examples of wearable technology today are smartwatches, Google glass, and smart tennis shoes. Google glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can communicate with the internet via voice commands. A smartwatch is a computerized wristwatch with functionality that is enhanced beyond timekeeping, and is often comparable to a PDA. There are many shoes that allow you to keep track of how many steps you've taken, calories you've burned, distance, and track of your run.

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Applications

Wearable technology, while still in a somewhat infant stage, has the possibility to serve many different functions within an IT or ICT aspect. Many companies are designing their technology to be an extension of your smartphone. For example, the popular Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch has many features such as notifications and the ability to accept or reject phone calls straight from the watch face. This makes it easier than having to pull your phone out, unlock the phone, and open your messaging app in order to see who has sent you a message or e-mail. While some people feel this really is just us getting lazier, wearable technology does have its uses in the health industry as well.

Besides potential novelties like smartwatches, wearable tech has also taken the form of devices that help us become healthier. One early example is the Nike FuelBand. This device, which looks similar to a normal wristband, allows the user to track their fitness goals, and monitor details such as calories burned and miles run. This can help users become more motivated as they can see the progress they make through apps on their smartphones as well as their computers. On a more serious application of wearable technology, wearable tech has made a start in the healthcare industry. Recently, a team of doctors performed virtual surgery using specialized software and the device that kickstarted it all, Google Glass. (Link to article.)

As you can see, wearable tech has only just started to evolve into real-world usefulness. While it is not a new concept to have a computer on your wrist, the recent rethinking of what wearable tech can do to help us live better lives is the direction the industry appears to be headed.
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Related Links

Sensoria
Machina
Google Glass
Wearable Technologies
Wearable Tech World
Wearable Tech Expo
Nike+ FuelBand